Since my funding ended in May I have had to spend more and more time doing paid work and I've realised that I haven't done any real PhD work since then apart from writing a paper and attending a conference in June. The situation isn't going to get any better and I'm probably going to have to find more paid work to pay the bills. It's so easy to say I'll do some of my Phd at the weekend or in the evening but I'm so tired by then all I want to do is sleep. I'm still motivated to some extent and want to get working again but I always seem to find an excuse. I know it requires willpower on my part but I just wondered if anyone had been in the same situation and how you got going again.

My hubs is in the same situation. I guess I'm the one who makes him sit down and do it. But we always have goals e.g. we'll proof read chapter 5 on saturday. He's so tired and values his weekends so we try and make sure its a short quick burst of concentrated work e.g. 2-3 hours so he can relax for the rest of the weekend.

I had many long periods of months off during my part-time PhD, due to long-term illness.

I'd drag myself back into things by making up lists. Very long lists, of everything I could possibly be doing. Then I'd start by picking the least unappealing thing on the list, and going from there.

Deadlines also motivate me. Could you come up with a set of dates when you will have certain things done by? That should help you complete, and may also help you get on with it.

Good luck!

And the other thing I'd say is you need to find a working pattern that works for you. It's no good hoping that things will get better, and you'll get back to the PhD in future. You need to get back to it now, and keep going, in a sustained steady marathon-style way.

I wasn't working, but I was very seriously ill and knocked out for most of the time, sleeping for up to 17+ hours every single day, and like a zombie for much of the rest of the time due to brain damage. I'd manage an odd hour on the PhD in the evening here and there, between 8 and 9pm. Nothing at weekends. If I was lucky I'd manage 5 hours total a week. But not always. And I completed.

You also have to get really good at using your time efficiently. So, for example, if you can't have a 5 hour stint you have to learn how to get going in much shorter periods. And saying no to lots of things that won't help you complete the PhD thesis.

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I sympathise, as does anyone who has ever done a doctoral degree, rest assured. It intrigues me to hear you say that the only work you did during this period was to work on a conference paper. I did my entire thesis by moving from one conference paper, or publication, book chapter, whatever, to the next. I used them as staging posts, with various major elements of the final thesis represented in different such talks and papers. In the end the write up was pretty simple, since I had almost all the material I needed, and simply had to fill in the gaps by stitching together more detailed examples of the papers I had already published etc. This meant I had deadline after deadline to keep me going, could see real results along the way, which was gratifying, and emerged from the exhausting process with multiple publications to my name- A BIG step up from only having the unpublished doctoral thesis in your hand. My wife has just said the above makes me sound smug! Well, didn't mean it to. It was damn hard, and I found my motivation flagging on numerous occasions, and there were conspicuous gaps in productivity, let me tell you! I simply propose that this is a good strategy, or at least one that I found kept me interested, and whipped me into shape along the way, as I had to satisfy various interim deadlines, and editors, etc.

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Being full time mum to 2 kids under 2+Phd student

almost finishing...so.so..hard...

How to get started:

REALISTIC GOALS IS THE MAIN TIP

1. Set 4-5 hours every sat & sun for Phd (dont give into anything but coffee and chocolate),it couldbe from 5am-10am or 2hrs in morning & 3 hrs at night

2. BEFORE you sit at the strat of that time, spend some time gathering papers, notes you have written and open the comp or keep it in hibernation-to set off qucikly

3. ONCE you sit -set the alarm and do not get up for anything! cut off internet until you get trained to avoiding this

4. Write things you know-others might want to know about your PhD-at first few days

5. When organised a bit more, you will set the pile of papers and a short question of what you need to write-a writing draft can be made while you are on the bus, train, etc.

6. NEVER write or do anything else during that set time, just keep looking at things relevant to your PhD, make a drawing, sketch, chart that explains things

7. AT THE END of set time, leave a question for the next day..do not end things ..leave it open so you will wander about this and will come back with fresh ideas to write.

try some motivation techniques...like treating yourself if you achieve more than you aimed etc..

Keep us posted...I came back to my PhD after 6 months...at last I can see the end now.

:-)